GMC Yukon XL Denali 4WD 8-Speed Automatic Review

GMC Yukon XL Denali 4WD 8-Speed Automatic Review Common Motors fairly a lot owns the full-size SUV segment with its entries from Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac. Sales of the General’s six regular- and extended-length full-size SUVs totaled 255,907 by means of November; in the same period, Ford discovered just 63,887 purchasers for its 4 total variants in the competing Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. It can not hurt that GM covers each of the pricing bases in the $48,410 entry-level Chevy Tahoe for the $98,790 Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum 4x4. As these hefty MSRPs suggest, these trucks create a lot of profits, especially luxury variants just like the 1 we’ve tested here, the GMC Yukon XL Denali.

GMC Yukon XL Denali 4WD 8-Speed Automatic Review

Greater than a men and women hauler, the extended-wheelbase Yukon XL can tow and haul heavy cargo, also. Nearly 19 feet extended from stem to stern and riding on a enormous 130-inch wheelbase, the big GMC has area for up to eight individuals (our Denali test truck’s second-row captain’s chairs limited it to a maximum of seven) and can carry 39 cubic feet of their belongings behind the third row. Tow ratings range from 7900 to 8100 pounds, based on gear.

Paying the $8650 premium for the Denali upgrade more than the next-lowest trim, the SLT 4x4, brings magnetic-ride-control dampers, HID headlamps, active noise cancellation, a larger alternator (to deal with these electrical upgrades), a customizable driver’s show, a glitzy grille, and sparkling body-side trim. A far more functional Denali upgrade is its six.2-liter V-8, which supplants lesser versions’ 5.3-liter V-8. The 6.2 can be a detuned version from the Corvette Stingray engine and produces 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque here, output we created ample use of throughout a 40,000-mile long-term test of a 2015 Yukon XL Denali. So why test precisely the same GMC once more? Considering that our long-termer was constructed, GM replaced the 6.2’s former six-speed automatic transmission with a new eight-speed unit.

GMC Yukon XL Denali 4WD 8-Speed Automatic Review - Interior:

The new powertrain pairing propelled this 2017 model from rest to 60 mph in five.8 seconds and by way of the quarter-mile in 14.three seconds at 98 mph. Compared together with the greatest final results we got from our 2015 long-termer, these are improvements of 0.1 and 0.2 second-essentially a wash. The eight-speed proved somewhat much more beneficial with regards to fuel economy, if not in our combined average-16 mpg, just just like the long-termer-then over our 200-mile, 75-mph highway cruising test. For the duration of that exercise, this Yukon XL returned 21 mpg, or 1 mpg greater than its EPA highway rating.

The Yukon’s interior is practically identical to that of its mechanical twin, the Chevrolet Suburban, setting aside the upgraded supplies and features that come with the Denali trim level. This is not a poor factor in terms of comfort, ergonomics, and first- and second-row space, but a few of the identical plastics that disappoint in that base $48K Chevy are still prominent within this rig, and also the third row is uncomfortable, tough to clamber into, and set really low to the floor. The central infotainment touchscreen is crisp and clear, responds quickly to inputs, and has redundant buttons and knobs beneath it. There’s even a tiny space behind the screen-which motors up and out of the way-to retailer or charge a telephone and to hide other small items you’d prefer to conceal. You can find so many storage cubbies of various sizes scattered all through the cabin that it is tough to picture any person needing to leave something behind.

In its element even though cruising the interstates, the Yukon XL wafts along quietly and usually isolates occupants from the outdoors world, even though also feeling planted and steady. Nevertheless, when traversing Michigan’s most broken pavement, some tire slap and suspension noise invades the cabin, and also the ride can get flinty on the Denali edition’s 22-inch wheels (our long-termer’s 22s weighed 88 pounds per corner with the tires installed).

GMC Yukon XL Denali 4WD 8-Speed Automatic Review - Features:

The Yukon XL yields towards the Ford Expedition EL/Lincoln Navigator L with regards to cargo capacity, providing up 4 cubic feet with all seats raised and ten with the second and third rows stowed. Those aren’t insignificant, but you are able to nevertheless match a studio apartment’s worth of stuff in here. Indeed, deciding on the long-wheelbase XL model signifies 24 cubic feet a lot more space behind the third row than within the standard Yukon and as significantly as 26 additional cubes together with the seats folded. Inside the most recent redesign for 2015, GM accomplished a almost flat load floor by adding a platform with storage beneath, but this can be a work-around for the inefficient packaging from the live-axle rear suspension, a carryover from the full-size-pickup platform on which GM’s full-size SUVs are based. In contrast, Ford’s Expedition employs an independent rear suspension that each enables a lot more efficient packaging as well as a a lot more compliant ride over washboard sections of gravel roads. Additionally, GM’s platform raises the load height by about three inches, which may not appear like significantly until you’re trying to stuff a heavy refrigerator by way of the hatch.

Parking or maneuvering a vehicle that is certainly seven feet wide (including large mirrors) and 224 inches long could be a challenge. Indeed, whilst testing the GMC, a tight parking lot place the SUV’s safety functions through their paces. Proximity sensors have been buzzing front and back, cross-path detection chimed as other individuals navigated around the monster SUV, along with the transmission and shifter (along with the driver) got a workout while generating something like a six-point turn to slot the beast into a narrow space. Our test vehicle also came equipped having a high-resolution backup camera along with GM’s haptic alert technique, which vibrates the driver’s seat when the car closes in on an obstruction. These haptic alerts also deliver warnings from the lane-keeping-assist method.

While the Yukon XL Denali can be a hugely capable and pleasant sufficient automobile, there are many other alternatives that ring in beneath its enormous $81,000 MSRP. As an illustration, all the space, a sizable portion of the capability, and most of the comforts could be had for $10,000 less in the Chevy Suburban Premier. The bow-tie version’s only concession is the fact that it cannot be ordered together with the six.2-liter V-8, however the 355-hp five.3-liter V-8 is no slouch, delivering a zero-to-60-mph run of 7.1 seconds in our testing. These considering the Yukon much more for its trimmings than its hauling capabilities may well take into account the Mercedes-Benz GLS450, which starts at less than $70,000 and includes a much more luxurious interior. It also offers a far more satisfying driving expertise along with a lot more brand cachet. Whilst the GMC resides in a perfect middle ground in between Chevy and Cadillac when viewed from a GM-centric point of view, the Yukon XL Denali’s price elevates it to a level exactly where ultra-luxurious appointments, stellar road handling, and-in several cases-better off-road prowess come from a lot more prestigious brand names that design their huge SUVs on devoted platforms.

It is a competent, sturdy, and luxurious SUV, however the Yukon XL Denali is not the very best bang for the buck, unless, maybe, you’re pricing it like real estate, by the square foot. Developing these cars on current pickup-truck mechanical components might enhance GM’s profit margins, but difficult essentially the most luxurious seven- or eight-seat SUVs would take far more effort to deliver a deluxe driving knowledge that goes beyond embellishing a operate truck having a bunch of attributes and trim.